TORONTO — Mike Sullivan rarely comments on a referee's call, no matter how egregiously wrong he might think it is.

Brian Dumoulin never declines an interview request.

Sullivan's words and Dumoulin's silence said a lot about how incensed the Penguins were regarding a call that went against them Saturday night.

Dumoulin was penalized for goalie interference late in the second period, Mitch Marner scored on the power play that followed and the Toronto Maple Leafs cruised to a 5-2 victory.

The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Penguins and dropped them into second place in the Metropolitan Division, one point behind the Washington Capitals.

"It's a turning point in the game. It's a two-goal swing," Sullivan said. "Based on everything I watched and saw, it looked to me like it was a good goal."

The call came with the Penguins trailing 3-0 with 2 minutes, 4 seconds left in the second period.

Dumoulin drove up the right wing, swooped to the net with defender Ron Hainsey on his back and slipped a shot inside the far post off the outstretched skate of goalie Frederik Andersen. It looked to be a highlight-reel goal.

As Dumoulin reached the top of the crease, three things happened: Hainsey gave Dumoulin a shove in the back with his left hand, Andersen reached out with his left hand to try to push Dumoulin away and Dumoulin's right hip or elbow grazed Andersen's mask.

Referee Dean Morton immediately waved off the goal, then went one step further, calling a minor penalty on Dumoulin for goaltender interference.

Sullivan had two problems with the call. First, he didn't agree with it.

"If there was any contact at all, it was because he got pushed, but there was very little," Sullivan said.

Second, he couldn't challenge the call because a penalty was called on the play. If Morton had ruled Dumoulin was guilty of a goaltender interference infraction that didn't reach the level of a minor penalty, Sullivan could have called for a video review.

"I do think, even if they call a penalty on the play, it should be challengeable. That I do think," Sullivan said. "That's just common sense. It gives the referee a second look because it happens fast."

Goaltender interference has been a hot-button issue in the NHL all season, with critics contending there are too many shades of gray in the interpretation of the rule. It is expected to be the primary topic of discussion when the league's general managers hold an annual meeting in less than two weeks.

Through a team official, an angry Dumoulin declined a postgame interview request.

"It's tough," captain Sidney Crosby said. "It's really hard for officials to call something that quick. Goalies are trying to make the saves. They're well aware now that if there's contact, they're going to make sure they sell it, too. Everyone's trying to do their best. As players, we're trying to stay out of the blue paint. I'm sure officials are trying to get every one right."

Whether the call changed the outcome of the game is debatable. The Penguins were already in a deep hole.

In the first period, the Penguins performed poorly on two power-play chances and the Leafs used the momentum gained by their penalty kill to take a 2-0 lead on goals by Kasperi Kapanen and Nazem Kadri.

In the second period, the Leafs needed just 37 seconds of power-play time to get goals from Kadri and Marner to break the game open.

Crosby and Patric Hornqvist scored in the final four minutes to break up Andersen's shutout bid.

"If we're not going to score, we've got to at least build some momentum and generate chances and play in their end," Crosby said. "Unfortunately, we didn't do that."

Jonathan Bombulie is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jbombulie@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BombulieTrib.

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